For Mason Wirtz, learning a foreign language is a key element to gaining intercultural competencies, especially learning German while living in the German-speaking realm. As a German as a Foreign Language instructor, Mason sees his language-learning classroom not only as the seminar rooms at Salzburg College, but the entire country of Austria. By encouraging students to take the knowledge they acquire in the academic classroom and apply it in everyday life, he strives to awake the same passion for the German language in his students as he has himself.
Mason Wirtz obtained his MA in German Studies with an emphasis on German Linguistics, Dialectology and German as a Foreign Language from Bowling Green State University. He also holds a certificate as a German as a Foreign Language (GFL) instructor from the University of Salzburg.
The program is so geared toward helping students succeed, it would have been hard not to meet goals. The faculty are fantastic and my experience in a host family was very warm and one I will never forget.
M. B., Ithaka College
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